Shining the Blacklight

☣☣☣Jacob☣☣☣

I cursed, ranted, and raved in my head as I paced back and forth in the living room. It was still around midnight and I was trying to be extra quiet to avoid waking Color or the neighbors. Eventually I sighed and sat down on the couch, the couch giving a creak. I winced because I forgot how heavy I was now, being concentrated biomass does that to you. I tried thinking up a plan.

"Alright, this is day one so there won't be a whole lot of infected yet, hopefully. Greene isn't here to control the outbreak so maybe the pony police force or guards can keep the infection in check. Without someone to direct the infected it should die out. But it probably won't be that easy, these kind of problems usually aren't." I rubbed my chin with a hoof and pondered something.

"How long would it take for the virus to take effect on a pony?"

I shook my head and got back up to clean the rest of the apartment.

"I should get get everything done, then head out to get the layout of the city."

☣☣☣Meanwhile...☣☣☣

Hocus Pocus is an old unicorn, but he is an old unicorn that has years of built up spell knowledge and practice. He studied long and hard in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns to get where he is and obtained many degrees. He also has a large magic pool, larger than the average unicorn no doubt. Spells came as naturally to him as breathing. Needless to say he was very talented, hardworking and was always raring to study something new and fascinating.

That strange creature that fell into the floor of Quill station definitely counts as new and fascinating. Especially when it was obviously intelligent and spoke Equish of all things.

Hocus Pocus trotted down the sidewalk humming a tune he heard in his younger years. Suddenly he had to stop, because he started to violently cough. Hocus staggered into the wall of the building on his left holding his chest, coughing all the while but this time flecks of blood spewed out of his mouth. He tried to use a healing spell, one he learnt while briefly studying medicine. His horn started to glow but sputtered out, a small pop was heard and blood and other fluids ran down his face.

To Hocus's horror horrible growths appeared around his horn as he tried to use magic. Not too long after the growths spread across his body as whatever ailed him fed upon his magic, mutating more and more as he screamed. His entire body was soon covered head to hoof and he fell over convulsing and all the while screaming bloody murder. Hocus suddenly stopped his movement, but the growths kept constantly moving around. The bubbly growths began to converge on each other, becoming one and soon started to take on a more pony like shape though larger than before. The fleshy colored equine like form started to take on more features as it evolved. There was no cutie mark on its fleshy flank, a body that had little muscle suddenly looked fitter than an athlete, eyes that once showed a twinkle of mischief instead glowed an eerie orange when they cracked open, and its horn grew longer and sharper.

The abomination stood still as it processed its newfound life. Within its head something sparked, connecting to more beings like it though not nearly as intelligent of course. A hive mind of similar monsters with a single goal.

"Is there somepony in trouble?" Asked a voice from somewhere behind the abomination.

The new Supreme Hunter turned its head to the pegasus pony behind it, eliciting a scream of terror as the pony saw its sharpened teeth and gaping maw. It lunged at the terrified pony.

To kill, consume, grow, and most importantly....

The Hunter stood over the body of the pegasus pony.

Spread the virus.

☣☣☣Jacob☣☣☣

I was back in my base form and running up a skyscraper close to the apartment, being careful not to destroy the building with every step. It was harder than you think but after practicing my powers I managed to get a good enough grasp on them, it was all nearly instinct after all. I finally got to the top of the building and stood on the edge of it, quickly taking in the city. Finishing that I sat on the edge and looked up to the night sky. Amazing how you could still see the stars in a city like this, usually there would be too much light pollution.

A smile tugged on my lips and I laid myself down parallel to the edge all the while staring at the stars.

"I might not be able to sleep anymore but that might not be too bad if I can look up at this every night." I said to myself. This could be one of the few pleasurable moments I'll get during my time here. I sighed, this will become a common occurrence I am almost certain.

After a few minutes of staring at the sky I decided to look through Grassy Knoll's memories. I closed my eyes and brought them up. The best way to describe looking through the memories would be to play the game. It was kind of like that but actually going through it gives a much more in-depth understanding of that ponies life. After I finished I reopened my eyes and once again sighed.

"Ugh, this guy got himself involved with the pony mafia. Just great... I'll have to be on the look out in case they decide to investigate what happened earlier." I groaned in annoyance but decided to burn that bridge when I get to it.

I stood up and took one last look at the city from my vantage point before dropping down onto the closest smaller building and heading back to the apartment. The sun just starting to rise up.

☣☣☣Day Two Begins☣☣☣

I got back to the apartment about two hours before Color's school starts and started to make some breakfast for her, carb-cakes er... pancakes seemed like a good idea. Thankfully her school wasn't all that far so I let her sleep in until they were done.

"Fuck... I'm getting too into this."

With a frown I set the food on the table and went about the morning rituals, which was really just waking Color up, feeding her and walking her to school.

Waving her goodbye I turned around and started walking away. Or, at least that was the plan.

"Psst. Hey Grassy!" A stallion's voice harshly whispered to me. I looked at where the voice was coming from and spotted a shady alleyway.

"Why is it always an alley?" With a mental shrug and a roll of my eyes, I trotted into the alley to see what the stallion wanted. He obviously knew me and Grassy's memories told me he was a messenger for the mob boss he worked for. Didn't really know the guy too well though, not even a name.

"Sup?" I said.

"Look Grassy. One of the boss's Lieutenants wants ta meet wit ya. He says he needs ta ask ya about somethin, dunno what for though." Did I forget to mention the stallion was wearing a fedora and trench coat? I did, and honestly I was trying not to laugh.

"Sure thing. Now?" I asked, practically forcing my mouth to not twitch.

"Yeah, follow me." The stallion motioned with his head and turned around, heading further into the alley. With a shrug and a small sigh of annoyance I followed him and we kept a brisk trot. After many twists, turns and street crossings we got to a very original setting, a warehouse.

"Good god, is this place nothing but cliches?"

I entered through the warehouse door and it closed behind me. I could hear it lock and looked around to see quite a number of mobster goons standing around me, trying to look sharp, tough, and mean.

"Hello Grassy." Said a cloaked unicorn as it walked out of a shadowy section of the warehouse.

"Dear god the horror... Did this guy actually use the 'walk out of the shadows' thing?"

"Hello Lieutenant Striker. What can I do for you?" I answered back.

The cloaked unicorn tossed his head back a bit to drop his hood. A grey coated, light blue and white maned unicorn silently glared at me. He walked a bit further until he stood across from me, staring into my eyes all the while. We held this little silent stalemate staring skirmish for a few minutes.

"He likes his theatrics I guess?"

My musings were cut short when he finally filled the silence that was starting to get a tad awkward.

"Very interesting, so my lookouts were right. You are certainly not Grassy Knoll. He would have been quivering in fright since he was first summoned."

"Aw shit! Shit shit shit!" I mentally screamed. I knew I forgot something about this dudes character! Despite my inner raging against my forgetful self I didn't let it show on my face.

"Maybe I just finally grew a pair Lieutenant?" I said to try and get things a little lighthearted. It worked to a degree, a few goons chuckled lowly. Though the same couldn't be said for Striker, he stared at me unamused.

"Doubtful. I have many lookouts around the area of Quill station where they say Grassy Knoll died. And they told me quite an interesting story."

"Really now? But I am here right now aren't I? So what do they say?"

"Very well then, I will indeed tell you what my lookouts say they saw." He paused for dramatic effect before continuing and all the while began pacing. "A strange biped creature wearing clothes stormed out of Quill Station and rushed to the alley where Grassy Knoll was. When Grassy and two standard thugs confronted said creature, that creature killed the two thugs with his bare claws. He then proceeded to kill Grassy by shoving his arm into his chest and, as they had no better way of describing it, sucked Grassy into himself. Now, what do you say to that, creature?"

I chuckled quietly, Striker raising an eyebrow at that. "They are called fingers, not claws dude. But anyway enough about that, what do you really want? All of this can't be for one single lowly goon that got offed. Tell me Strikey." Ok yes, I am getting a little cocky. But you would too when you realize you became a character that made you feel like a god compared to normal people as you play.

Striker didn't take the bait from that Strikey comment. "What I want is simple. I want you to work for our boss, you became Grassy. We have many ways we could put that particular skill into use. It helps that you seem to be physically strong too."

"Join the mob eh? Hell no, I don't care if I am not actually Alex Mercer, I don't work for anybody."

"I think I'll pass. I don't think I'm cut out for the whole being a mobster shtick." I said with a smirk when I saw the frown on Striker's face.

He sighed, "Very well." He took a few steps back and pointed a hoof at me. "Beat him boys, but keep him alive enough for use."

And like that something clicked and many things happened at once. One was me instantly turning back into my base form and forming my claws. Two were all ten of the pegasi taking to the air. Three were the twelve earth ponies charging me, either bare hoofed or some type of weapon in their mouth. Four were the five unicorns charging up a spell behind their comrades.

This couldn't be called a battle.

When the first earth pony got close to my left I merely flicked my arm out and the front of his body was shredded. I dashed forward and slide between two more with my arms flashing up. The two other ponies were cut in half horizontally. A pegasus tried dive bombing me but I grabbed him with a clawed hand and stabbed with the other. Consuming him at the same time for the genetics, I forced down the memories this time and continued the fight.

I jumped into the air, which shocked the ponies since it was at least twenty feet. With a spinning kick I launched the nearest pegasus into a steel beam, braining him on impact. Quickly changing my right arm to whipfist I snared another in my grasp and slammed him into the ground. As I fell back to the ground a flash of light hit me in the cheek and caused my head to snap to the side a little. I looked to the unicorn who hit me and my glare made his eyes shrink in fear and his knees wobble. I jumped up again and charged a flying kick. Launching myself forward my foot met his face and I slid across the ground on it, using his body as a makeshift skateboard. With a final backflip kick his dead body slammed into the wall leaving a bloody smear.

I couldn't help the one liner as I looked over at the rest, "Really, that last kick was just beating a dead horse." The other ponies, gulping in terror, blanched and backed up a bit.

I used my whipfist again to grab the nearest unicorn and quickly consumed him, I wanted magic really badly. As it turned out that was a huge mistake because right after the last of him disappeared I felt a horrible pain as my body started to mutate. Gripping my head I fought with all of my might to suppress these symptoms and fight back. As if on cue the mob ponies decided I was probably weak enough for them to take on. They all rushed me and wailed on my body, I didn't even notice since I was trying to fight these sudden mutations.

I squirmed and writhed in agony until the last of the forced mutation was put down with a vengeance. The ponies were still hitting me so I likely wasn't out for very long.

"Enough." I snarled as a huge amount of tendrils shot out of my body and through the ponies. All of the tendrils grabbed ahold of each of the ponies and I sucked them all inside me, effectively ending the fight and getting a hold of a lot of extra biomass. Thankfully, whatever happened to me with the first unicorn didn't happen again when I consumed the others.

I got back to my feet and stared down at Striker. He was staring in open shock at me. Horror dawned on his face when he realized it was just me and him now. He attempted to flee but my whipfist caught his leg and I slowly dragged him back towards me, he all the while tried to grip the floor with his hooves.

"No! No! Please have mercy!" He begged and sobbed. A clear contrast from before.

"Now why should I do such a thing? You were so willing to force me under your hoof a few minutes ago." I changed my left hand back to normal and gripped him by his throat.

"Be-Because you'll have the boss after your head if y-you don't!" He was nearly in tears at the point. "He is the most influential stallion in all of Manehatten! There wouldn't be a safe place in the entire city for you!"

I laughed darkly and shook my head. "Sorry buddy. But even without him going after me the whole city won't be safe for anypony anyway. A real shitstorm is going to happen soon and I don't need a distraction like you around." With that last statement I snapped his neck and consumed him.

I knelt there on the ground for a bit before getting back up to my full height. I looked at my hands and finally realized I didn't even hesitate with any kind of killing. It scared me to be honest, but I once again had to put that aside for now. I had some exploring to do and a plan to come up with before I had to pick Color up from school. I walked to the warehouse door, punched it, and walked back out into the city through the demolished metal.

I crouched down, charged my biomass and leapt up and forward to the roof of the nearest building, but not before a random piece of paper stuck itself to my face. Coming to a less than graceful roll on the roof I tore the paper from my face with a small curse. Looking down at it I saw something that could either be a potential lifesaver, or my doom. I read the paper.

The National Museum of History Proudly Presents

A History of Equestria

With Special Guests Princess Celestia and Princess Luna

A chance to hear history from the ponies that lived it!

Times are:
09am to 11am
01pm to 03pm
and
06pm to 8pm

Don't miss this exciting event!

"Huh, how convenient. This should be interesting, it will be a bit too late for the one o'clock showing so how about the six? I could even take Color with me, her grades are slipping in history anyway..." I face palmed, "Ugh, I'm doing it again. Whatever, I need to figure out where the museum is and Color won't get out of school for a few more hours anyway. I have time to spare."

With that I crumpled the paper up and tossed it to the side. I charged my biomass once more for a jump and rocketed across the rooftops of the city.

"Hopefully I won't have to fight this menace all by myself. And hopefully I can figure out what the hell was up when I consumed the unicorn..." I mutter to myself.